Wildflower Wednesday: Verbesina virginica

It's rough and tumble wildflower time in my garden and that makes me happy. The take care of themselves Autumn beauties are shining.

Rough and tumble wildflowers are simple wildflowers that bloom their hearts out and require the easiest of care. Verbesina virginica is one of the best and it deserves to be a Wildflower Wednesday star every fall, but, especially this year, because it has survived to bloom beautifully despite our severe drought.

And when it blooms, it's a magnet for all kinds of insects. Especially bumblebees. They're out every morning and will be there every day until the flowers have gone to seed. But, going to seed is not the end of all this flower has to offer.

I wasn't always so crazy about Frostweed.  I first saw it growing in the wayback backyard~behind the Garden Of Benign Neglect. I decided to watch for a season to see what it could be. That was one of my best gardening decisions.

 

 It's a stately queen among the rough and tumble flowering natives in my garden. This tall Asteraceae family member (can reach 6 or more feet) is a plant that most of us wouldn't give a second look. At least not until it bloomed along with the other Autumn beauties. Plant it with Phytolacca americana/Pokeweed,  Solidago/Goldenrods, Rudbeckia triloba/Brown-eyed Susan, Vernonia/Ironweed, Oenothera biennis/Evening primrose and Silphium perfoliatum/Cup plants. I will always have a special place in my heart for these wild and rough looking beauties.

 

As I wrote earlier, rough and tumble wildflowers are simple wildflowers that bloom their hearts out and require the easiest of care. What I especially love is that they haven't had their best characteristic bred out of them. They are so much more than pretty faces, they're landing pads of deliciousness for butterflies, bees, wasps and moths. They bloom just in time for the late arriving pollinators which are making a mad dash to collect as much nectar and pollen for their last brood.

Frostweed is a late blooming magnet for all kinds of insects, including those insects that are themselves food for spiders, birds and other insect eating critters.

Bumble Bees love it. Green Metallic bees love it. Giant Carpenter Bees love it. Butterflies love it. Skippers love it. Hoverflies love it. Soldier beetles love it. Hummingbirds love it. In fact, it's an essential late summer/early fall nectar food for all visiting pollinators and it's an especially important food for the Monarch Butterfly. It's has been selected for monitoring by Monarch Watch an organization devoted to education, conservation and research about/for the Monarch Butterfly.

Verbesina virginica's flowers have a petal here and a petal there, but, that matters not to a bees and other pollinators.

It's a native herbaceous biennial/perennial in the Asteraceae/Sunflower family. It has clusters of white ray florets and white disk florets with noticeably contrasting purplish-black anthers. 

Its leaves are dark green with rough surfaces and toothed margins and are oppositely arranged.

Its stem has distinctive wings running along its length leading to one of it's common names, wingstem. If you live in its native range, you've probably seen it along roadways or in natural areas and parks. It can be found on streams and river banks, bluff bases, bottomland and upland forests, pastures, railroads, roadsides, prairies, and in forest openings. It can be found all over my neighborhood where ever birds have transpooped the seeds. It is most common in areas with neutral or basic soils (Soil which is in the range from slightly acid to slightly alkaline) .

Frostweed is a robust spreader. Seedlings germinate far from the parent plants thanks to wind and birds! It self sows in my garden (I have to thin it out), but, I've begun scattering seeds here and there for their architectural and pollinator appeal. If you have seeds, plant them as soon as you get them to insure the seeds get at least a 30 day stretch of cold, moist conditioning. If there's snow on the ground you can mix them with sand and toss the mixture onto the snow or winter sow them in a container so you can keep an eye on them, then transplant where their height will best appreciated. 

Verbesina virginica has a lot going for it:

• It blooms exactly when bees are provisioning a nest for the winter. 
• It has a long bloom time (late July to October) 
• Pollinators love it, especially bumblebees
  
• Provides seed for migrating birds
• It's a feeding station for over-wintering birds
• It's a  host plant for the caterpillars of Summer Azure, Bordered Patch, and the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly
• Great architectural appeal (6 feet tall)
  
• The Chelsea chop in June will keep it shorter
  
• Drought tolerant when established
• Not particular about soils
• Not eaten by deer or rabbits
• Frostweed flowers are a winter bonus!

Although, more common on the first frosty mornings of fall, here in my Middle Tennessee Zone 7a garden we have all the right ingredients for frostweed flowers to make their special appearance all winter long.

 Imagine a beautiful late fall day; it's warm and the sun is shining. The Verbesina's roots draw water up into the stem and late that night when the temperatures drop well below freezing, the stems freeze, split open, emitting plant juices, which immediately freeze into ribbons of ice that curl around the stem and the base of the plant!

 It's magic! Well actually the scientific term is capillary action.

Isn't nature grand!

Everyday there is something of the marvelous to behold.

Frost flowers will continue to form as long as the temperatures are cold and the plant juices are flowing.

You've got to get this plant in your garden!

The Particulars

Family: Asteraceae

Common names: White crownbeard, White wingstem, Frostweed, Iceplant, Iceweed, Virginia Crownbeard, Indian Tobacco, Richweed, Squawweed

Native Range: Pennsylvania west to central Texas, south to Florida

Habitat: White Crownbeard occurs in prairies, in pastures, in forest openings, along streams, and on roadsides. It is most common in areas with neutral or basic soils.

Size: The stems are 3-8 feet in height and unbranched below the inflorescence. They have winged internodes, and are pubescent. The wings that make them easily identifiable

Bloom: Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are arranged in corymbs. Each head has 1-7 white ray flowers and 8-15 off-white disc flowers.

Bloom time: Late July–October.

Sun: Full sun, half sun, and, even fairly shady sites.

Water: Moist to dry

Maintenance: Weeding and editing, plants can become weedy, spreading by seed and from rhizomes.

Propagation: The fruit is a winged achene with two small bristles at its apex. Best planted from seed or if in a natural area allowed to self sow. Seed dispersal is by wind, animal or flowing water

Wildlife Value: Over wintering birds eat the seeds. Bumble Bees love it. Green Metallic bees love it. Giant Carpenter Bees love it. Butterflies love it. In fact, it's an essential late summer/early fall nectar food for all visiting pollinators and it's an especially important food for  the Monarch Butterfly.

Comments: Best in natural garden, along pond edge or if well managed in the background of a butterfly garden. This plant is called "frostweed" because it often forms spectacular "frost flowers" in the fall, when a sudden overnight freeze causes the stems to burst and release sap.

I adore this plant, but, I also weed it ruthlessly if it's crowding other more delicate plants. I can't imagine Clay and Limestone without Frostweed and the other rough and tumble beauties. Local gardeners, let me know if you want seeds, I'll have extras for sure.

xoxogail

Thank you for stopping by and welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if your wildflower is in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. If you participate in WW, please leave a link.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Another rough and tumble wildflower: Verbesina virginica

Verbesina virginica, is a rough and tumble white flower with a petal here and a petal there, but, that matters not to a bee. They're in it for the nectar and pollen payoff and this Asteraceae family member has quite a payoff.

Wasps, bees, beetles, butterflies, skippers, and flies all adore it.

 I do, too.

If you're new to Clay and Limestone, rough and tumble wildflowers are simple wildflowers that bloom their hearts out and require the easiest of care. Many have never been hybridized, which means they haven't had their best characteristic bred out of them. 

Rough and tumble wildflowers, like Verbesina virginica, also commonly known as Frostweed, are doing the job nature intended them to do, which is to make a lot of food (nectar and/or pollen) and bloom exactly when the critters need it-just in time for provisioning a nest for the winter or for migrating birds. Once bloom is past and the seeds ripen, they become feeding stations for over wintering birds which seek out those seeds. It's also the host plant for the caterpillars of Summer Azure, Bordered Patch, and the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly.

Frostweed with Cup plant another robust native

People make the mistake of calling Verbesina virginica invasive. That's a word I only use for plants that are not native. Instead, I would call Frostweed robust. Seedlings do germinate far from the parent plants thanks to wind and birds! That doesn't mean I would ban it from the garden, but, I can be ruthless about removing seedlings of this biennial!

Buckeye butterfly visiting Verbesina

 Do not cut it back after bloom and you'll get to see how it got its common name. 

When the first freezes hit. Frostweed splits its stems and water oozes from the stalk where it freezes creating lovely and unusual ice crystals. 

 All it takes is a warm winter day followed by a cold winter night.  During the warm day, the  Frostweed's roots draw water up into the stem and later that night freezing temperatures force the sap from the stems where they freeze into sculptural ice candy flower curls.  

I think it's magical.

White Crownbeard

Whether you see the magic or the science (capillary action) it's wonderful having a plant that can  produce ice sculptures over and over, especially one that really delivers for wildlife during the entire growing season.

xoxogail

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Wildflower Wednesday: Verbesina virginica

It's rough and tumble wildflower time in my garden.

The take care of themselves Autumn beauties are beginning to bloom and our wildflower star, Verbesina virginica is looking its wildflower best, dressed in white flowers and wearing nature's late summer visiting jewels.

If you're new to Clay and Limestone, rough and tumble wildflowers are simple wildflowers that bloom their hearts out and require the easiest of care. Many have never been hybridized, which means they haven't had their best characteristic bred out of them.

Rough and tumble wildflowers, like Frostweed, are doing the job nature intended them to do, which is to make a lot of food (nectar and/or pollen) and bloom exactly when the critters need it. Once bloom is past and the seeds ripen, they become feeding stations for over wintering birds which seek out those seeds.

I know you'll agree with me when I say, nature's design is amazing.

landing pads of deliciousness

Verbesina virginica is a native herbaceous biennial/perennial in the Asteraceae/Sunflower family. It has clusters of white ray florets and white disk florets with noticeably contrasting purplish-black anthers.

Its leaves are dark green with rough surfaces and toothed margins and are oppositely arranged.

Its stem is distinctive in that it has wing-like flanges running along its length. If you live in its native range, you've probably seen it along roadways or in natural areas and parks. It can be found on streams and river banks, bluff bases, bottomland and upland forests, pastures, railroads, roadsides, prairies, and in forest openings. It is most common in areas with neutral or basic soils (Soil which is in the range from slightly acid to slightly alkaline, usually considered to be in the range of pH values from 6.6 to 7.3).

 seed feeding station of Frostweed, Rudbeckias, Cup plant and yet to bloom ex-asters and Goldenrods

 That means it's very happy, maybe, even too happy in my garden.

Verbesina virginica is a blooming magnet for all kinds of insects, including some insects that are themselves food for spiders, birds and other insect eating critters.

Bumble Bees love it. Green Metallic bees love it. Giant Carpenter Bees love it. Butterflies love it. In fact, it's an essential late summer/early fall nectar food for all visiting pollinators and it's an especially important food for the Monarch Butterfly. It's has been selected for monitoring by Monarch Watch an organization devoted to education, conservation and research about/for the Monarch Butterfly.

We all know that adult butterflies depend upon their host plant to raise their larval young.   Caterpillars won’t just eat any leaf and each butterfly species has specific plants that their caterpillars will eat. During migration blooming nectar plants are even more valuable to Monarch butterflies than their non-blooming host plants. Frostweed and other rough and tumble plants provide the nectar they need for energy to fly thousands of miles.

Flattened fruits have winged margins and two awns

Verbesina virginica also provides ripe seeds for over wintering birds that live in and stop by our gardens. So don't be so eager to chop them down in November. Let them stand until late winter or early spring.

Photo courtesy of Meredith O'Reilly

Verbesina virginica has many common names, three of which, Frostweed, Iceplant, Iceweed hint at something wintry about our star.

Aren't these ice candy ribbons incredible! They're provided by Frostweed.

Imagine a beautiful late fall day. It's warm, the sun is shining and Verbesina's roots draw water up into the stem. Late that night, temperatures drop well below freezing and the stems freeze, splitting open, emitting the plant juices, which immediately freeze into ribbons of ice that curl around the stem and the base of the plant!

Frostweed flowers will continue to form as long as the temperatures are cold, the plant juices are flowing and the sun cannot melt them away. The scientific term is capillary action, but, I think it's magic.

The Particulars

Family: Asteraceae

Common names: White crownbeard, Frostweed, Iceplant, Iceweed, Virginia Crownbeard, Indian Tobacco, Richweed, Squawweed

Native Range: Pennsylvania west to central Texas, south to Florida

Habitat: White Crownbeard occurs in prairies, in pastures, in forest openings, along streams, and on roadsides. It is most common in areas with neutral or basic soils.

Size: The stems are 3-8 feet in height and unbranched below the inflorescence. They have winged internodes, and are pubescent. The wings that make them easily identifiable

Bloom: Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are arranged in corymbs. Each head has 1-7 white ray flowers and 8-15 off-white disc flowers.

Bloom time: August–October.

Sun: Full sun, half sun, and, even fairly shady sites.

Water: Moist to dry

Maintenance: Weeding and editing, plants can become weedy, spreading by seed and from rhizomes.

Propagation: The fruit is a winged achene with two small bristles at its apex. Best planted from seed or if in a natural area allowed to self sow. Seed dispersal is by wind, animal or flowing water

Wildlife Value: Over wintering birds eat the seeds. Bumble Bees love it. Green Metallic bees love it. Giant Carpenter Bees love it. Butterflies love it. In fact, it's an essential late summer/early fall nectar food for all visiting pollinators and it's an especially important food for  the Monarch Butterfly.

Comments: Best in natural garden, along pond edge or if well managed in the background of a butterfly garden. This plant is called "frostweed" because it often forms spectacular "frost flowers" in the fall, when a sudden overnight freeze causes the stems to burst and release sap.

I adore this plant, but, I also weed it ruthlessly if it's crowding other more delicate plants. I can't imagine Clay and Limestone without Frostweed and the other rough and tumble beauties. Let me know if you want seeds, I'll have extras for sure.

xoxogail

Thank you for stopping by and welcome to Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday celebration. WW is about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if your wildflower is in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers. Please leave a comment when you add your url to Mr Linky.



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Frostweed flowers are nature's winter magic

Verbesina virginica has begun its flowering magic and I never tire of seeing it blooming on a cold morning.

Verbesina virginica/white crownbeard/wingstem is a valuable food sources for late pollinator visitors, so I've let it seed with some abandon in the wilder parts of the garden.

You can see capillary action in the above stem

Although, more common on the first frosty mornings of fall, here in my Middle Tennessee Zone 7 garden we have all the right ingredients for frostweed flowers to make their special appearance even in winter.

All that is needed is a warm winter day followed by a cold winter night. During the warm day, the Verbesina's roots draw water up into the stem and later that night freezing temperatures force the sap from the stems where they freeze into sculptural ice candy flower curls. The scientific term is capillary action, but

I think it's magic.

Verbesina's quirky magical winter behavior is just one of the many reasons it's a queen among the rough and tumble flowering natives in my garden. Bumble Bees love it. Green Metallic bees love it. Giant Carpenter Bees love it. Butterflies love it. In fact, it's an essential late summer/early fall nectar food for all visiting pollinators and it's an especially important food for  the Monarch Butterfly. It's has been selected for monitoring by Monarch Watch, an organization devoted to education, conservation and research about/for the Monarch Butterfly. It will always have a place in my garden.

I love its candy curls of ice, but, in the back of my mind are images of summer blooms and visiting pollinators.

xoxogail

I am posting this magical flower for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! Stop by May Dreams Gardens to see what other gardeners are sharing for Bloom Day.

Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.